The invention relates to a method of displaying content to a reader as a training device. More specifically, the invention relates to a systematic method of displaying content that activates a reader's comprehension monitoring, a metacognitive skill, to improve the reader's understanding of written text.
Comprehension monitoring is critical to the active processing of information, which is necessary for the reader to construct meaning while reading fiction and non-fiction information. On various occasions, all readers have had the experience of not fully understanding what they read. However, good readers are mindful of when they do not fully understand and are able to employ strategies to fix the breakdown in their comprehension processes. Less able readers are not mindful of when they do not understand; therefore, they are not able to remedy their poor comprehension of written text.
Good readers intentionally or unintentionally generate the mindfulness (or awareness) necessary for good comprehension. They tend to process information more actively and they realize when their understanding (comprehension) has broken down. They tend to employ strategies to fix their lack of understanding. Two of these strategies include re-reading previous text and looking ahead to subsequent text. Looking back confirms whether they have understood the ideas correctly. Looking ahead confirms whether the information is consistent with what they think the information is about and whether it continues to make sense. Looking back and looking ahead reassures the reader that they are not only correctly understanding, but also that the information they are reading is consistent with previously acquired information. By reading previous and subsequent text and by checking incoming information against common sense criteria, the reader is actively constructing meaning in order to optimize their understanding of written text.
Good readers also actively integrate information, i.e., they engage in a process of combining isolated ideas so that they gain meaning from text which is qualitatively different from the isolated ideas that make up the text. In other words, the essential meaning of a sentence encompasses more than the meaning of the individual words in a sentence. Likewise, the essential meaning of a paragraph encompasses more than the meaning of individual sentences in a paragraph.
Good readers also check incoming information against previously acquired knowledge to verify that ideas make sense. This process is known as hypothesis testing. If the incoming information is consistent with what they already know, their hypothesis about the incoming information is maintained (assimilation). However, if the incoming information is not consistent with what they already know, they eliminate the current hypothesis and formulate a new hypothesis, more consistent with the incoming information (accommodation). Hypothesis testing is an important process in comprehension monitoring and in constructing meaning.
Good readers are also able to construct inferences from text. Similar to hypothesis testing, constructing inferences requires readers to summon prior knowledge (what they know about the world). This is important because it's impossible to write out (describe) everything that is necessary to understand (comprehend) written text. For instance, if a reader reads a paragraph which mentions playground swings, they must summon their prior knowledge of playground swings in order to create an image (definition), critical in the construction of meaning.
Good readers can be compared somewhat to skilled card players who seem mindful of when to hold on to cards and when to throw away cards. Skilled card players possess “meta-skills” which go beyond just knowing the rules and knowing how to play a particular game of cards. Novice card players may eventually acquire these “meta skills” after playing many games or with the guided help of an expert player. Similarly, readers can acquire the “meta-skills” of reading, i.e. monitoring ongoing comprehension of incoming information. This comprehension monitoring is necessary for optimally understanding the meaning of written text.
Reading is a complicated skill. Good comprehension involves decoding words both effortlessly and automatically in order for the mind to focus on constructing meaning. Beginning reading instruction focuses on the basic skills of decoding words and understanding the meaning of words. Improving these basic skills positively impacts reading comprehension at lower levels.
Instruction in the teaching of advanced reading skills, however, focuses on teaching readers strategies that help them develop the “meta-skills” of reading: monitoring incoming information and testing it against previously acquired knowledge. Advanced “meta-skills” also require readers to develop an awareness of when they are not understanding the meaning and to engage in remedies to fix this lack of comprehension in order to optimize their comprehension written text.
Two of the current methods for fostering comprehension monitoring are direct classroom instruction by a teacher and traditional workbook exercises. A classroom teacher can assist the process of comprehension monitoring by asking pre-reading questions: “What do you think the story or article will be about?” (predicting); and “What do we already know about this subject?” (prior knowledge). After reading, the teacher can informally assess whether students have understood the story or article by asking post-reading questions “Who and what was this story or article about?”; “Summarize the action of the story.”; and “Summarize the important information.” The problem with this method is that it is haphazard in fostering comprehension monitoring. Some students may adopt the strategies of predicting, hypothesizing, and summarizing to enhance comprehension monitoring. Other students may rely on listening to classroom discussion without adopting strategies that enhance their ability to understand written text. More importantly, a teacher cannot monitor all of the students in the class simultaneously to determine if the student is comprehending the text as they are reading it.
A second method for fostering comprehension monitoring involves traditional reading comprehension workbook exercises. These exercises ask a student to read a story or article and to answer multiple choice questions. While these exercises isolate the learning to individuals, these exercises may or may not foster comprehension monitoring for particular students. Reader A may decide not to read the story or article and to randomly choose (guess) A, B, C, D, or E. This method does not foster comprehension monitoring because the reader has not even tried to understand the text. Reader B may read the story or article and comprehend well enough that he or she can take an “educated guess.” This method does not foster comprehension monitoring because the reader has not achieved the goal of knowing for sure he or she has fully understood the written text.
If the traditional workbook exercises are computer generated, Reader A and Reader B may see the CORRECT answer briefly (such as A, B, C, D, or E), but showing the correct answer does not afford them an opportunity to reflect on why they did not understand a paragraph correctly. If a good reader, Reader C, answers a question correctly, the next question appears. With traditional reading comprehension exercises, Reader C, the good reader is reinforced for his or her reading skill, but no explicit or implicit training has occurred to help average or less abled readers become better readers.
In traditional reading comprehension exercises, readers are not provided the necessary guided practice needed to learn or improve comprehension monitoring, a reading “meta-skills.” The traditional reading exercises do not necessarily command a reader to summon prior knowledge, neither to hypothesize about the text nor to summarize the text. Also, readers are not provided necessary guided practice to improve deliberate and purposeful reading. They are not given time after each question to reflect on why their answer was incorrect. Reflection is important to the development of the reading “meta-skills” necessary for improving reading comprehension. Therefore, it would be advantageous to develop a reading training method to help readers develop these “meta-skills.”